ITSPmagazine Podcasts

Guest and Host

Guest: Precious Perez, President at RAMPD | On LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/precious-perez-a0548915b/ | Website: https://preciousperezmusica.com/

Host: Sean Martin, Co-Founder at ITSPmagazine and Host of Redefining CyberSecurity Podcast & Music Evolves Podcast | Website: https://www.seanmartin.com/

Show Notes

The intersection of music, technology, and accessibility is shaping how artists create, perform, and share their work. In this episode of Music Evolves, host Sean Martin speaks with singer, songwriter, and educator Precious Perez, a Berklee College of Music graduate with degrees in music education and vocal performance. As a blind Latina artist and disability advocate, Perez shares her journey in music, the role of technology in her creative process, and how she works to increase opportunities for musicians with disabilities.

A Life Shaped by Music

Perez’s passion for music started early, surrounded by the diverse sounds of her Puerto Rican household. From salsa and reggaeton to R&B and pop, her exposure to various genres helped shape her identity as an artist. She recalls her first songwriting experience in fourth grade, when she transformed a poem into a song with the help of a music teacher. That moment solidified her desire to pursue music professionally, leading her to Berklee, where she refined her skills in both performance and education.

As a blind musician, Perez explains how she interacts with music differently from sighted artists. She describes her early experiences learning Braille music and how tactile memory plays a role in understanding composition. While she primarily relies on her ear, her knowledge of Braille notation helps her analyze rhythm and structure in a unique way.

Technology as a Tool for Inclusion

For Perez, technology has been both a gateway and a challenge. She demonstrates how she uses a BrailleSense note taker, a device that allows her to type lyrics and read them in Braille while composing. She also shares how screen reading software enables her to navigate recording software like Logic Pro and Pro Tools, ensuring she can produce and edit her music independently.

Beyond the studio, accessibility in live performance is another key consideration. Whether using in-ear monitors or giving cues to her bandmates through verbal or physical signals, Perez emphasizes that clear communication and collaboration make performances seamless.

Advocating for Disability Representation in Music

Perez is also the president of RAMPD (Recording Artists and Music Professionals with Disabilities), an organization founded by recording artist Lachi and NPR Tiny Desk Contest winner Gaelynn Lea. RAMPD is dedicated to amplifying disability culture, promoting accessibility, and ensuring that disabled artists have equitable opportunities in the music industry. The organization consults with major industry events like the Grammys, NAMM, and Folk Alliance to improve accessibility and representation.

She stresses that disability is an often-overlooked part of diversity and that anyone, at any time, could join this community due to illness, injury, or aging. Through RAMPD, Perez and her colleagues are breaking down barriers and proving that disabled musicians are just as competitive and professional as their peers.

A New Era of Music

Perez is embracing a new era in her music, blending her Latin roots with her pop and R&B influences. She performs her latest song, Rosé, a Spanish-language track about embracing the present moment with a loved one despite life’s difficulties. With plans to record a new project with We Could Be Music in Costa Rica, she is leaning into the Latin music space in a way she has always envisioned.

Her story is one of resilience, innovation, and passion. From navigating music education as a blind student to advocating for industry-wide accessibility, Perez is proving that talent and determination—not sight—define an artist’s success.

Listen to the full episode to hear Precious Perez’s insights on technology, performance, and advocacy in music.

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Resources

Precious' LinkTree: https://linktr.ee/preciousperezmusica

Recording Artists and Music Professionals with Disabilities (RAMPD): https://rampd.org/